Structure segmentation in music is useful when it is desired to understand the repeating structures in a music stream and where these repeating structures occur. A self-similarity matrix (SSM) and a recurrence plot are known as core elements for music structure segmentation. For instance, matrix decomposition methods have been applied to an SSM to obtain spectral features describing the structure of music. However, these traditional structure segmentation methods are computationally intense and costly.
In response to advancements of personal computing devices, including increases in storage space and computing speeds, many users are able to perform music analysis on their own devices. However, because traditional methods of structure segmentation are computationally intense and costly, practical deployment opportunities on personal computing devices are limited. Thus, users may not have access to systems that can generate hierarchical structures, which are used for music structure segmentation.